Justice Betrayedby Patricia Bradley is the third book in the
Memphis Cold Case series. Any series set in Memphis must eventually
delve into its famous resident, Elvis Presley. Bradley combines
a riveting mystery with some fun facts about the Elvis Week
that includes a tribute contest.
Homicide detective Rachel Sloan must endure interviewing an
Elvis impersonator, Vic Vegas, who wants her to look into
the death of his friend, another impersonator that happened
years ago. He entices her by claiming that his death is related
to her mother’s murder, which has never been solved.
After Vic turns up dead she and her supervisor, Lieutenant
Boone Callahan join forces to find out who killed Vic and
if there are any ties to the past cases. What they discover
places all of them, particularly Rachel, in harm's way.
This is not the first time they have worked together. In the
previous book, Justice Buried, they joined forces, she a burglary
detective, while he was a homicide detective. Their relationship
went beyond professional when they dated for a few weeks.
Now that she has switched to homicide, with Boone as her supervisor,
any relationship between them is prohibited. Even though they
still seem to have a chemistry between them their painful
past history must be sorted out before they have any chance
at reconciliation.
Each character must deal with the guilt they felt, blaming
themselves for a loved ones’ death. Bradley noted, “I
based that guilt on me. When I was in sixth grade I had a
friend, whose father murdered her and her mother. I was supposed
to have a sleepover that night but cancelled. I always felt
if I had gone maybe I could have done something. In the story,
Rachel felt that way also. Maybe if she was home she could
have prevented her mother from being murdered.”
Boone struggles with the death of a comrade that he fought
alongside in the Iraqi War. Bradley wants to give a shout
out to all veterans, “I have a friend who has had three
tours of duty in Afghanistan. I also knew the book was going
to come out about a week after Memorial Day. We call it Decoration
Day in the South. Many go to the graves and place flowers
after cleaning up the graveyard for those who paid the ultimate
price. I think many of us take our soldiers for granted. They
have given up and sacrificed so much for us. My friend who
is serving told me that he must leave his family for a year
without seeing them. I think many of us do not understand
how the soldiers are away from their loved ones, as civilians
we have no idea. Many times, we fail to let them know how
we appreciate their service.”
This book has it all: well-developed characters, a chilling
mystery, and the re-emergence of Elvis.
|